Local, State, and Federal officials gathered in Milwaukee on June 10, 2021 for a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off construction on the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS)’s East-West Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, a first-of-its-kind undertaking in Wisconsin that will provide improved access to the region’s most vital, most traveled, and most congested corridor.
The nine-mile BRT route will allow MCTS to better connect major employment, education and recreation destinations through downtown Milwaukee, Marquette University, Milwaukee’s Near West Side, Wauwatosa, and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center (MRMC).
The BRT route will operate primarily along Wisconsin Avenue, Bluemound Road, and a portion of 92nd Street. Ultra-modern battery-electric buses will serve 33 individual, state-of-the-art stations located between Milwaukee’s lakefront and the Watertown Plank Road Park & Ride lot.
BRT passengers will enjoy more efficient, higher frequency service thanks to the utilization of all-electric buses, dedicated bus lanes, traffic signal priority, off-board fare collection, optimized station locations, raised platforms that allow for easy boarding, and other exciting amenities.
Nova Bus, a leading North American transportation manufacturer that’s part of the Volvo Group, will produce 11 LFSe+ battery-electric buses that will run exclusively on the BRT route. Learn more about the vehicles here.
BRT construction began in June 2021. BRT revenue service is expected to start in Fall 2022.
Click here to visit the East-West BRT's official construction website.